Where the middle 50% lands.
Half earn between $46k and $181k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $317k, roughly 3.3 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.
| Percentile | Total comp | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 90th | $316,597 | Top 10% of earners |
| 75th | $180,669 | 25% earn more than this |
| 50th · median | $95,000 | The typical executive |
| 25th | $46,210 | 25% earn less than this |
| 10th | $19,814 | 10% of executives earn less than this |
How the package is built.
The typical pay structure across 772 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (31% of the 2,464 orgs in this slice). Each share is the average across orgs of the fraction of total comp that goes to this component, so the bar fills 100%.
The number in context.
Every row links to its own dedicated benchmark page.
All figures are median total reported compensation · IRS Form 990, Schedule J
Pay varies by state.
District of Columbia pays $80,074 more than the median Executive Director compensation in international, foreign affairs & national security nationally.
The ten highest-paid international, foreign affairs & national security Executive Directors by filing.
| # | Organization | Location | Total compensation | Filing year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Endeavor Global Inc (F/K/A The Endeavor Initiative Inc) | New York, NY | $2,074,264 | 2023 |
| 02 | Council On Foreign Relations Inc | New York, NY | $1,504,030 | 2023 |
| 03 | Ciee Inc | South Portland, ME | $1,440,948 | 2023 |
| 04 | National Defense Industrial Association | Arlington, VA | $1,376,178 | 2023 |
| 05 | American Israel Public Affairs Committee | Washington, DC | $1,367,537 | 2023 |
| 06 | Birthright Israel Foundation | New York, NY | $1,141,908 | 2023 |
| 07 | Cnfa | Washington, DC | $1,053,908 | 2023 |
| 08 | Dkt International Inc | Washington, DC | $1,024,729 | 2024 |
| 09 | United States Fund For Unicef | New York, NY | $929,058 | 2023 |
| 10 | World Education Services Inc | New York, NY | $922,091 | 2023 |
Total includes base, bonus, other reportable, and deferred/retirement compensation per Schedule J.
What does a $X org pay?
Adjust the slider to your organization's revenue. The median Executive Director compensation for international, foreign affairs & national security nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.